The invention relates to a device for lifting one or a plurality of articles from a roller conveyor by a fork which can be raised and lowered having one or a plurality of spaced-apart elongate tines which, in the lowered position, are lowered with the tines between or below the rollers of the roller conveyor in order to lift the article(s) from the rollers as the fork is being raised into the raised position with the tines, wherein the tines form a carrier surface for the article.
The use of forklifting devices is known for lifting objects from the rollers of roller conveyors or lowering them onto the rollers thereof by means of tines of the fork engaging between the rollers. Particularly small goods, however, which are transported on roller conveyors can slip, tip over or fall when being lifted by means of a conventional fork mechanism or belt lifting mechanism. In particular in the area of packet transportation, this problem cannot always be avoided by using smaller roller and fork spacings. Nevertheless, during transportation of these small goods, it must also be possible to effect lifting in order thus to carry out e.g. intermediate buffering or changing of the transportation sequence.